Interlocking device for



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c. SEARS:

ENTEBLGKING DEVICE FOR TYPE WRITHWG MACHINES.

' (Application filed Jau. 14, 1897.)

(No Windel.)

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cnARLES SEARS, or CLEVELAND, omo.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,944, dated July 5, 1898.

Application tiled Januaryl 14, 1897.k Serial No. 619,230. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES SEARS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlock'in g Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to interlocking devices adapted to prevent the concurrent operation of more than one of a plurality of independent levers.

The invention is adapted to a wide variety of uses; but it was originally designed to prevent the concurrent operation of two or more of the key-levers of a type-writer or analogous machine, wherefore the drawings have been made to show the invention when constructed and arranged particularly for such purpose.

The invention consists in the construct-ion and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a sectional front elevation of a plurality of type-writer levers and my new mechanism for preventing` the simultaneous operation of two or more such levers. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same parts, showing them in different relative positions. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same parts.

Referring to the parts by letters, A A represent a plurality of independent levers, which, as before stated, are, in the particular construction shown, the key-levers of a typewriter, matrix-machine, or other analogous device. There may be any number of these levers, and they may be of any form.

B represents a tube which extends transversely across all of the levers and upon that side thereof toward which they move when they are moved from their normal position. The tube is below the levers in the construction shown, because they move downward when they are operated. A. number of steel balls are placed in this tube, by which they are maintained in line. The balls are free to move in either direction within the tube; but their motion is limited by stops b b at the ends of the tube. These stops in the construction shown are adjustable plugs which screw into the ends of the tube. There will `preferably be one more ball than there are levers, and the total amount of free space between all of the balls and the stops is only slightly greater than the diameter of the levers or such de- `vices carried by the levers as are intended to be passed between the balls when the levers are operated.

0n the underside of each lever, as shown, is secured a pine. These pins pass into thc tube through perforations b therein when the levers are actuated and Iin so doing pass between two of the balls C. The balls upon opposite sides of the pin so moved into the tube are moved to right and left, respectively, toward the stops b b and into contact with one another. rlhe friction incident to this movement is very slight and does not sensibly impede the operation of the levers. vWhen one pin has passed between two of the balls, as shown in Fig. 2, it is obvious that if an attempt were made to actuate another lever its pin would strike one of the balls, and since said ball is for the time being practically immovable the operation of the lever is prevented. Vhen any lever in the embodiment of the invention shown is moved to the end of its normal path, its pin enters a hole b2 in the opposite side of the tube, whereby the bending of the said pin by pressure upon another lever is practically impossible.

lf an attempt is made to simultaneously operate two levers, their pins simultaneously strike balls, the balls between the pins being thereby moved int-o close contact; but this movement of said balls in either direction cannot be equal to half the diameter of the pins, wherefore the movement of both levers is checked. Itis thereforeimpossible to move any lever until all of the others have returned to their normal position, and it is likewise impossible to operate two levers at the same time.

For obvious reasons l prefer to employ balls which are accurate spheres as the locking members. The construction might be operan tive, however, if these members were rings or perhaps ellipsoidal bodies, andl intend the term balls7 herein to be taken as including such and similar forms.

Having described my invention, I claimm l. The combination of a plurality of levers IOO il., u pin d rigidly secured te eneh lever und projeeting lilierelfrfun it snbeluntinlly right angler; to its length, :i lube ll euitnbly supported in the line el inoveinent et' the pinta, there beingr nu enti-mee lio Suid Alube in mid line of movement, fluid tube inelesiingg; e, eet el bulls, und n leeren-plnl;` in the end of uuid tubo for adjusting the bulle, eubfll'untiully zu; described.

2. The eoinbinntion el' n plurality el enb- Stnntinlly horizontal levers jl) n pin o' proljeeting downward frein enellL lever, n, tube ll supported beneuth :fluid lerern und. 'lrunn- Vereely of them, and zulupled to lnme isn-id pins prejeet into itj belle in unid tube und n Screw-plug' in the end oli` :Suid tube l'er adjunting the bulle, Snibeliuntizilly :in deeeribed.

3. The eoinbinutifn'i el." :L plurulity ollevere, und. pine projeetingeerernlly frein fluid level-ri, with u tube i-ieeured in the plzuie eli' the ronY el? pine und inelosing n filet el. bulley C und luwin` holen l1' in which enid pine eonnlz'lntly stand and by which they7 ure guided und pre- Vented frein ewervine longitudinull'yv ol. lhe tubes, und :nenne :ler limiting the euin el the pluy between the @nid bulle 'lo un :'nnoun ly subntuntiully equal te the thickness el one pin, substnntiullyne deeeribel'l.

Vllie een'ibinnltien el n pl urnlitgv el levere, und pins projectingl eeiernlly frein :Suid lererl, with a, tube Seeured in the pinne et the row el pine und haring perlerntiene through "which the pins muy enter the lube, :L plurality of bulle in Suid tube, und udjustz'ible eerewplugs in the onde el. Suid tube, suibsstmitiall.)v ne und ler the purpose epeeilied.

rlhe eoinbinu'l'ioil el' :t plurulit5r el.' inde pendently-inevnble lerersi A, pine o projeelling` therefrom, L tube ll extending trnnS- Yerselj,v el the levers in the path ol movement o the pins und containing u Set el bullsj holes b' und lf3 on opposite eiden el Suid tube, Suid helen being adapted to einbruee the pins und prevent their @Werving longitudinally of the tube, un d menne ferlin'iiting the play between fluid bulle, enbetnntielly ne described.

(l. The combination of n plurulity of .levers lil, n pin d rigidly secured to esi-eh lever nud projecting;` therefrom nt enbetuntizilly right :ingles te its length, u `tube li euitnbly enpporlied in the line el? inovenient el' the plus, uuid tube ineloeing n eet ol bulls U und hanV- ing holes b' in which Said pine eenelnntlllr stuud by whieh the;7 :ire guided, the Suni of the pluy between smid belle being subetnntinlly equal Ato the tlliekneen el' one pin, und Screw-plugs l) screwing Vinte the ende el the tube ll :ind establishing nnd maintaining the proper plny between the balls, eubsinntinlly :is deneribed.

ln tesistiineny wlierool.' l elli); my signe! ure in presenee el two witneesee.,

ll' ilnefsnen:

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